This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
PITTSBURGH -- Steve Vernamonti made his belief in his grandson known on a yellow raffle ticket 13 years before Jake Mangum made the Majors.
It was Feb. 20, 2012, and Mangum had just completed his first varsity baseball game at Jackson Prep in Flowood, Miss. After the game, Vernamonti pulled out his game ticket and a pen, writing “On the way to the big league.” He handed the ticket to Stacy, his daughter and Mangum’s mother, knowing one day he’d see his belief come to fruition.
While Mangum was on his way to becoming the SEC hit king at Mississippi State in 2019, Vernamonti was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Six years later, Mangum proved his grandfather right by debuting with the Rays after five years in the Minor Leagues. An offseason trade sent Mangum to Pittsburgh, where he’s become a key contributor through the first half of the season.
As Mangum lives out his dreams, his grandfather remains his biggest fan. And while Vernamonti undergoes therapy to fight the disease, he sees his grandson’s baseball career as an incentive to persevere.
“He's fighting,” Mangum said. “When I was ‘stuck’ in Triple-A, I was just like, ‘Man, I got to get up there.’ I wanted him to be able to see me playing in the big leagues.”
“He’s my motivator,” Vernamonti said. “I always worry that I won't get to see him play. I want to see him play as long as I can.”
Mangum grew up in a family full of football players. His father, John, played nine seasons for the Bears, and his uncle, Kris, spent a decade with the Panthers. Mangum carved his own path in baseball, becoming a switch-hitter at 12. Mangum uses a football-like mentality on the diamond, “playing with his hair on fire,” as Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly put it.
John’s father, John Sr., died before Mangum was born, making his relationship with Vernamonti vital. Mangum grew up just a mile away from his grandparents, whom he refers to as Mimi and Dada. He and the six other grandkids would go to their house daily, often enjoying family dinners.
Vernamonti was at nearly every game, from Little League through college, and described Mangum as “the best ballplayer he’d ever seen.”
It was during the College World Series when the family realized Vernamonti’s health was declining. Stacy watched her father walking through the concourse at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha and noticed he wasn’t picking up his feet. Vernamonti went to pay the bill at dinner that week, and his writing was unusually messy because his hand was shaking.
Mangum’s grandmother, Brenda, began to research what the symptoms meant. She found they were tied to Parkinson's; he was later diagnosed with the disease. Mangum remembers his grandmother calling the grandkids to let them know of the diagnosis.
They knew it’d be harder for Vernamonti to see Mangum’s games. As the family grew more concerned, they quickly realized the only way to fight was to stand by Vernamonti’s side. Mangum’s career would be key in that.
“If me being out on the baseball field playing a kid's game is going to keep him motivated to keep fighting Parkinson's, I'm all for it,” Mangum said. “Whatever it can be. I love him to death. I keep telling him, ‘I need you to keep moving.’”
When Mangum was drafted by the Mets in the fourth round in 2019, he was closer to his MLB goals than ever before. Stacy said her son has always gone 110 percent on the field, but now he had added determination to reach the Majors for his grandfather to witness.
Mangum recorded more than 1,800 plate appearances in the Minor Leagues before finally getting the call on March 28, 2025, and debuting two days later as a 29-year-old rookie. The grind was well worth the wait. Vernamonti traveled to Texas for the third series of the season to see the Rays face the Rangers. Stacy remembers Mangum recording a hit and turning to her father and asking, “What do you think?” Vernamonti burst into “happy tears,” covering his face with his hands.
Vernamonti’s limited mobility makes it difficult to travel to many games. The family saw Mangum play for the Pirates in Atlanta in early June, and Mangum moved a barricade at Truist Park to roll Vernamonti’s wheelchair out to the field for a pregame picture. Mangum said he’ll cherish that photograph for the rest of his life.
“Being able to follow Jake's journey and watch every game, it's just helped him so much to find that happiness with dealing with Parkinson's,” Stacy said. “It gives him something to look forward to every day.”
Mangum often calls Vernamonti on his way to the ballpark. Vernamonti tells him to go 3-for-4 or 4-for-5 that night, while Mangum says he’s headed to the trainer for treatment to encourage his grandfather with his Parkinson’s therapy.
After Vernamonti handed Stacy the yellow raffle ticket in 2012, she kept it in a safe place. Vernamonti and Mangum didn’t know she’d kept it, but when he got to the big leagues, she surprised them both.
For Christmas, the family framed the ticket and a photo from Mangum’s game in Texas with his grandparents. Mangum gifted it to Vernamonti; it sits on the wall next to Vernamonti’s recliner.
Vernamonti always believed he’d one day watch his grandson play at the highest level.
Now it’s his lifeline.
“That's all I look forward to. Watching him play ball each night,” Vernamonti said.